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Truett McConnell University (TMU) Awards Women in Biology with Scholarship

By Jenny Gregory | 09/28/2018

Graduates with biology and exercise science degrees play essential roles in our healthcare industry, conservation efforts, and even technological advances. Those who study biology and exercise science often go on to graduate-level programs that require research presentations in conference settings. Historically, women have been underrepresented in science in general as well as science conferences.

To help defray conference costs and thus increase female representation, TMU’s Pilgram Marpeck School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (School of STEM) is establishing a scholarship for full-time, undergraduate or graduate females, currently majoring in biology or exercise science.

According to Dean and Associate Professor of Physiology Dr. Robert S. Bowen, “The women selected for this scholarship will be able to present scientific research, enhance scientific presentation skills, and make professional contacts for future careers at conferences such as: The American Society for Microbiology, American Physiological Society, American College of Sports Medicine, and The Ecological Society of America, to name a few.”

The following guidelines must be met in order for a candidate to apply:

Submission of a 500-word essay on why this scholarship would benefit them

Through private donations and departmental fundraising, the Office of Advancement and the School of STEM have raised close to $3,000, and one hundred percent of these donations will be used to fund Women in Science Scholarships.

Recently, Olivia Darley and Elise Lombard, who are current graduate students in TMU’s School of STEM, received Women in Science Scholarship funds to attend the Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference through the American College of Sports Medicine in San Diego, California.

“We attended seminars on the benefits of exercise on brain function, cancer reduction, and much more,” Darley said.

“We presented our current research at a poster session and were able to talk to multiple people about what we are doing,” added Lombard. “We also attended many speaker sessions by established scientists currently in the field.”

After the presentation, Darley said, “We received valuable feedback to improve our research skills. We also made relationships with a news reporter for New York Times, as well as an NIH personnel, which is a grant organization that funds numerous research studies.”

“The scholarship was important because, in order to attend the conference, we had to pay for plane tickets, hotel rooms, and meals. It all adds up relatively quickly. This scholarship will provide similar networking opportunities for other students at TMU,” said Lombard.

“It is the desire of the Pilgram Marpeck School of STEM to create opportunities for our female students to excel in science and research,” said Bowen. “The culmination of this scholarship fund is one of the mechanisms to meet this goal.”

For more information on the School of STEM, please contact Dr. Robert S. Bowen at 706-865-2134, ext. 6400 or rbowen@truett.edu. To make a gift, visit truett.edu/womeninscience or contact the Office of Financial Development at 706-865-2134, ext. 3800 or advancement@truett.edu.